All She Wanted
by Mia Bailey
Summary: AU/Duke helps a girl in trouble but he has no clue what he's gotten himself into. She's seeking to hide but the quiet life is eluding her. Who is she running from and what has she brought with her to Haven?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: No money is being made from this story.

**Author's Note:** I started this story in my head about 3 or 4 episodes in to watching the first season of Haven (about 3 days ago). The whole plot was already played out in my head before I watched most episodes, completely AU beyond Audrey coming to town to be a local cop and trying to figure out about her 'mom'. Anything that overlaps or coincides with what actually happens on the show and in my story is mostly coincidence. Also, Jess and Evie do not even exist in my story because I didn't like either character.

You will find I am a dialogue girl and I don't always put who says what when there is a conversation. That is on purpose. I try not to let it be confusing but if it is, I apologize. I am not a professional. I'm sure there is more I can say but let's just begin, shall we?

P.S. Rereading this I want to point out I know nothing about boats. =)

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 1: The Getaway

The footsteps behind her were gaining rapidly. She only had a few more moments and she would be in their line of sight. She pushed herself to run faster, the deck of the nearest boat rapidly approaching. She side stepped and leaped onto the deck, her landing as silent as a cat. The fishing boat was large and the deck uncluttered, not a help in her situation. She backed up quickly, pushing her back against the sidewall of the boat, hugging her knees close, out of eye line of anyone on the dock.

The running footsteps that were following her slowed as they came closer. She had apparently vanished from their point of view quicker than they liked. She was hoping they would continue on, thinking she had run farther ahead of them then they had anticipated. She was wrong.

They were having a discussion as to which boat to search first. As they spoke a man appeared on the deck of the boat she was on. He looked from her face to the two men on the dock. He had a towel in his hands, cleaning something. He looked to be in his early thirties, dark messy hair, well built. In the dark it was hard to tell any more details but they didn't matter. The only way she could take him on was with the element of surprise and that was gone. He had the ability to blow her cover with just a word.

"Hey." He called to the two men on the dock. She couldn't tell but they must have looked at him. She saw his eyes slide toward her; ever so slightly she shook her head, praying that he wouldn't give her up. "Can I help you?" His eyes were back on the men.

"We're looking for a girl. Small, dark hair, dark clothes. She was running this way." The man who spoke had a slight foreign accent, Scandinavian. She didn't recognize the voice, but that wasn't a surprise. She closed her eyes, trying to plan her next move if the man on the boat gave her up.

"Hmm, yeah, I think I saw her." Her eyes snapped open and she watched the man advance toward her, but his eyes were still on the men on the dock. "Booking it, like a bat outta hell."

"That was probably her. Look, she's dangerous. You need to tell us where she went. " This was a different voice, closer than the first one, American. She scrunched up closer to the wall to be sure to be out of sight.

"She went around the corner, that way." The man pointed in the direction she had been running earlier. "I saw her go by and glimpsed her past the corner but then I don't know where she went."

There was a pause. The men were debating on believing him. That was a long way away and she hadn't had that much of a head start on them. "You sure?" The accented voice asked.

The man nodded. "Yea. Like I said, she was fast. That's what caught my eye." He hadn't looked at her again for which she was grateful. That would have given her away.

There was silence for another moment then a very insincere 'thank you' muttered from the disembodied voiced. Their clunky footsteps took off down the dock. She watched the man's face as he followed them with his gaze until they were gone. He looked down at her, half curious, half suspicious, but all grins. "That was exciting."

"Thank you." She exhaled slowly.

He glanced up in the direction the men had gone and looked back to her. "They're gone. But you better get in the cabin. When they don't find you their liable to be back."

She nodded and stood gracefully, slipping past him into the cabin of the deck. He was confident he was the one in charge right now, giving her the element of surprise she desired in case she needed a quick escape. He wasn't currently a threat to her in any way.

"So can you tell me what I just did? Did I protect an illegal immigrant, an escaped convict, or just a runaway kid?" He finished cleaning the chunk of metal with his towel and set both things on a cluttered table. He leaned against the doorjamb of the cabin, crossed his arms, and stared at her. He was blocking her path out but she still knew she could get him off balance easily. She wasn't worried.

"I'm not a kid," was all she chose to answer. She walked around the cabin, absently running her gloved hand over everything. It wasn't a clean place by anyone's standards but it wasn't filthy. Just messy. "You live here?" It looked lived in.

"Oh no, you don't get to be vague and not answer questions and expect me to be forthcoming." He still had that perma-grin in place when she looked at him. "I don't mind bending the law but I would like to know what I'm in for if those guys come back."

She thought about that for a moment. If they did come back he would be questioned and probably not very pleasantly. More than likely they would be chasing her ghost for the rest of the evening. By morning she better have left a trail for them to follow far, far away from here. With any manner of luck, he would never see those men again.

"Don't worry, they won't be back." She assured him. As an afterthought she added, "tonight."

"Great. You still haven't answered my question." His patience was wearing thin.

She thought about being honest but he wouldn't believe her anyway. Vague, half truths would be better for him. "Those men are very, very bad people. They were trying to kill me. You saved my life. Thank you." She gave him a tight but sincere smile.

Her words seemed to leave him speechless for a moment. She stopped circling the room and stood to face him, her own arms crossed, her stance firm. She wasn't sure staying on the boat much longer was the safest place for her. She needed to start leaving her false trail in one direction and then go in the opposite.

"Bad people? What am I, seven?" He looked at her, clearly upset.

"Of all the things I said, that's what you choose to comment on?" She let out a small laugh despite herself.

"From the looks of them, they weren't after to you to give you a lollipop. I knew they wanted to hurt you. That's why I helped you. They didn't look friendly."

"Good eye." She nodded her approval.

"But why here? Haven, of all places; why are 'bad men' chasing you, a perfectly normal looking girl, in this middle of this town?"

She sighed. She couldn't answer his question without creating more questions that would eventually lead her to telling the unbelievable truth. "It's complicated." She hoped that would shut him up but she could already tell he was the inquisitive type.

He nodded in agreement. "Most of what happens in Haven is. But it usually happens to townies. I know you're not a townie."

She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, trying to figure out how to remove him as an obstacle without using force. She needed him to drop the subject of 'her' so she could go and he wouldn't give her another thought. If she forced him now he'd probably go after those two men and point them in her direction. Of course, she'd be long gone by then, maybe it wouldn't matter…

"Look, I am on your side here. I just want to help you. Can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly; a calming technique she used often. Extending her hand she smiled brightly. "Hannah Evans. New to town, mysterious past that is going to stay mysterious. I like bowling, pancakes, and the color blue. I am twenty-nine, single, never been married or had any children. I have two brothers and a set of parents that have been married for thirty years. I'm from the Midwest but I travel a lot for my job. I enjoy long walks on the beach, movies, and popcorn. Anything else you need to know?"

He had reached for her hand automatically when she put it out; he shook it slowly as she spoke, giving her a strange look. His grin grew wide as she spoke and he realized what she was doing.

"Is _any_ of that true?" He asked when she was finished.

"It's customary to introduce yourself back when shaking hands." He hadn't let go of her palm.

"Duke. I'm Duke and this is my boat." He still gripped her hand.

"It's all true." She replied, jerking her hand back from his. "Lying is too complicated. It's simpler to leave out details you don't want people to know."

"So you want me to know about your favorite color and places you like to go on dates?" He surmised, still grinning at her.

"It's information I don't care if you have." She corrected. "Difference."

"Oh, you care." He was being flirty now. Not good.

"It was nice to meet you, Duke. I need to go now." She was tired of playing word games with him.

"I would let you, but…"He trailed off, looking over his shoulder.

"You can't stop me." She warned, ready to be physical if needed.

"I can." He replied, still not looking at her. Something in his voice stopped her.

"What?"

"They're coming back." He was whispering now. He walked inside the cabin toward her. She allowed herself to be pushed back toward a hatch that led below. "There is a loose board to the left of the stairs. It's roomy underneath. I promise you'll only stay there a few moments, until I get rid of them."

"I'll be vulnerable."

"You'll be safe."

"You don't know these men, they're good at their job-"

"I've dealt with worse. Trust me."

"But-"

"Trust me." He grabbed her gently by her upper arms and gave her a little shake, willing her to trust him with his eyes.

Hannah never trusted anyone. In this moment, however, she trusted him. There was something about the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. He wanted to protect her. She turned and navigated the stairs as quietly as possible, finally dropping down and finding the board he was talking about. The hold was obviously for smuggling illegal goods but she couldn't care about that at the moment. Instead she crawled inside and gently set the board back in place above her head.

The next twenty minutes were hell for her. She had no weapon and no vantage if she was found. She heard creaks and muted voices but she couldn't tell exactly what was going on. At the last moment, right before she thought she was going to lose her mind with worry about what she didn't know, she heard a whispered, "Hannah!" The board was lifted away and Duke looked down at her with a self satisfied grin. "Told you I knew what I was doing."

He helped her up out of the hole and slid the board back into place. He gestured for her to lead the way back up into the cabin. Once there she turned to thank him again.

He held his hands up to stop her. "Hey, all in a day's work, saving a pretty girl's life."

She turned to walk toward the door. "I should go before you get in more trouble."

"They weren't trouble. They just wanted me to let them know if I saw you again. They're staying at the Storm Crow Inn. They said they would be in town for a few days."

Hannah turned back to him. "Hopefully they'll be gone tomorrow."

He looked concerned. "What are you going to do?"

"Lead them away." She was talking more than she should. She shook her head with a small laugh. "Why are you even worried?"

"Because you were right. In the light I could see them. They are some scary dudes. And you're just a tiny, little thing. I don't know why they want to hurt you but they could snap you in half easily. I'm worried that I saved your life and now you're going to go jeopardize it."

"That's sweet, really, but you'd be surprised at how well I can take care of myself."

"You needed my help earlier."

"I would have been fine."

"Really?" He had a knack for raising one eyebrow in a very cute manner.

"It would have been messier but I would have been fine." She repeated, backing toward the door. "I don't need to put you in any more danger than I already have."

"Sweetheart, you can put me in danger whenever you want." He was flirting again. Hannah couldn't stop herself from grinning at him.

It faded into a sad, wistful smile as reality crashed into her. "If you're lucky, you won't see them, or me, ever again."

"I don't think that would be lucky." He countered, moving forward as if to stop her.

"Trust me, it would be." She turned, keeping just out of his reach. At the door she turned back one last time. She was trained never to turn back, never to take one last look. This time, she had to. "Thanks, Duke, for saving my life. I owe you one." It was symbolic, not meant to be taken literally.

"I'll hold you to that!" She heard him call after her as she crossed the deck and climbed onto the dock. Part of her was grateful that he didn't follow her and try to stop her; part of her was desperate for him to come after her and drag her back into the safety of that cabin. She was already starting to regret having to leave Haven.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: I think of Haven a lot like Lost. You always get more questions than answers and something always means _something_. Hannah is like that. Her story is set in my head, you get glimpses of what she is in her dialogue and text but you really don't know what she is or what's going on with her. It will all play out eventually…after a very long eventually. It is written that way on purpose, to keep the reader guessing.

Is Hannah a Mary Sue? I try not to write Mary Sues, I try to have flaws in my girls. It's difficult. Hannah is a character in my head that I've used before. She's confident and excellent at many things. She has her socially awkward moments. As a writer, it's hard to write a character that you like without making her perfect, especially in fanfiction. It's usually the character you would want to play on a show, and who wants to be goofy looking Sally Bumpkin? Instead of thinking MS, I like to think she's a girl I could be friends with, a girl that wouldn't annoy the heck out of me if I met her. That's what I try to write her as.

Enough of my gabbing for today. Moving on with the story…

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 2: Bread Crumbs

"Three thousand dollars and a free one way ticket?" The girl looked like she won the lottery but was also very suspicious. That was smart of her, but not helping Hannah any. "What's the catch?"

"You're going alone and you have to buy your own ticket back. You also have to use this passport." Hannah flashed the dummy passport she set up for this operation.

"I'm not doing anything illegal am I? Will I go to jail for this? Are you a felon?"

Hannah sighed. "Actually, no, you'll be helping to defend your country. You're essentially working for the CIA. And when you're 'found' by the people who are looking for me, they'll realize you're not me and leave you alone. You probably won't even know you're found. It's a free vacation. Win, win for both of us." Half truths and making someone think they were part of something big and little dangerous usually worked wonders. Luckily, Hannah had chosen well. The girl's eyes were growing bigger and brighter with each word.

"I'm so in." She replied, snatching the passport from Hannah's hand and grabbing the money envelope. "Any other special instructions?"

"Just use the passport and don't call anyone until you get over there. Then enjoy yourself and don't blow all your money in one spot. Three thousand is not a lot if you don't spend it wisely."

The girl nodded, her mind already gone on the vacation. She headed toward the bus station that was across the street. The airport wasn't very far; the credit card Hannah had used that would be traced back to her wouldn't show up for another couple of hours. By the time they figured out where 'Hannah' was, the girl would be on the plane an hour out to sea. That would keep them chasing the trail for at least a day and a half, plenty of time to get new credentials and head off in a different direction. Maybe South America or maybe even Australia.

Instead, she found herself driving back toward the coast, back toward Haven. Try as she might, she couldn't turn the wheel in any other direction. For some unknown reason she wanted to be back in that town. She wasn't finished there yet.

She learned long ago not to fight her instincts. Her instincts kept her alive, kept her ahead of the game. Between those and her abilities, she had long ago given up second guessing herself. If she thought something or felt something, she went with it.

Haven wasn't very far away. She hadn't gone far to find someone to 'be her'. The trail had to be close so the guys following her would easily pick it up. With any manner of luck they would be headed out of town, sure she wasn't any where in Haven. If she thought about it, it was perfect. The last place they'd look was the last place she had been.

Letting her instincts take over she pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. She had only seen the town very late at night when everything was closed so she didn't know exactly where everything was but this place seemed as good as any to get some lunch.

She walked in and sat herself near the back porch door. Hannah was overwhelmed with the realization that she had a chance to be normal and this was her first step in becoming an average citizen. She had instinctively sized up every customer in the restaurant/bar but she worked diligently at pushing those assessments out of head. Everyone here wasn't out to get her; heck most people here didn't even watch her come in.

Adjusting to civilian lifestyle wasn't going to be an overnight thing but she was already beginning to like it, not having to worry about watching her back every moment of the day. And being in a beach town, even a northern beach town, was a perfect place to try and relax. The scent of the ocean breeze was already calming her. Hannah beamed a smile at the waitress who took her order then sat back and closed her eyes, just trying to enjoy the moment.

"I have never been more grateful for terrible luck than this moment right now." A familiar voice caused her eyes to snap open in surprise.

"Duke," was all she managed to get out in her surprise.

"Hannah." He replied, all grins.

"I didn't expect to see you-"

"In my own restaurant?" He tilted his head, looking at her with amusement.

Hannah glance around. "You own this place?"

"Recently bought. A new thing I'm trying, small business owner. Trying to be legit."

Hannah nodded appreciatively. "I like the ambiance and décor but I haven't tried the food yet."

"Blah, what is food next to ambiance and décor? You can get a burger anywhere but a laid back, ocean breeze filled escape? Those are few and far between." He nodded at her with a wink.

"Fair enough. But if the food sucks people don't come back."

"They do if the drinks are good."

"Touché."

He sat back as her food was served. He ordered them both drinks and watched as she ate her first few bites of her sandwich. She nodded, her tipping her hand side to side. "It's okay." She offered, even though the food was very good.

He rolled his eyes but didn't call her bluff. "So what brings you back? And in broad daylight? You must have lost those goons pretty quick."

"I know how to leave a trail of bread crumbs." She replied vaguely, not meeting his eyes. She took a few more bites of her lunch.

"I figured you'd be off a million miles in the other direction." He countered, thanking the waitress for bringing the drinks.

"I did too." She agreed, still not meeting his eyes. She took a sip then finally looked at him. "Very good."

"The drinks keep 'em coming." He reminded her, taking a big swallow from his own glass. They were silent for a few moments while she ate some more. Finally, Duke broke the silence. "Got a place to stay while you're here?"

She hadn't thought of that. She hadn't planned very much of her future from this point on. She was winging it. "No." She replied.

"I have extra space." He offered with a wicked grin.

"I will not be sleeping on a boat, thank you." She replied dryly.

"Are we thinking long term, you need an apartment; short term you need a hotel; or permanent you need a house?"

Hannah tilted her head, thinking. "Probably an apartment. Not sure how long term, but something I can lease by the month."

"In your own name?"

Hannah paused. She had lots of credentials and all sorts of aliases she could use but the government would pinpoint her eventually if she used any of them. They were the ones that gave them to her in the first place after all. Maybe this civilian thing wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped.

"That's what I thought." Duke shook his head and downed the rest of his drink. "I might have a solution."

Hannah raised an eyebrow at him. "Again, I will not be staying on a boat, yours or otherwise."

He chuckled but shook his head. "No, I have a buddy that owns a few of the apartments above some shops down town. He's been bugging me to rent one, something to do with having roots here. Anyway, I'll just tell him I'm caving and sign the lease for you. As long as you pay the guy rent on time I don't mind having it in my name."

Hannah squinted at him in wonder. She met this guy last night and he was going to sign his name to a lease for her? She had heard of the kindness of strangers but this was too much. "I can't let you do that." She replied finally.

"Why?"

"You don't know me. Why would you put your credit on the line for a stranger?"

"We are hardly strangers." He smiled.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I." He sat forward, resting his forearms on the table in front of him. "I am offering for purely selfish reasons; don't think this is a Good Samaritan thing. I don't do good deeds."

Hannah rolled her eyes and sat back with crossed arms. "Oh, here it comes. I knew there had to be a catch." She should have known better. "Come on, hit me with it."

"I just want you to stick around." He replied simply, looking her dead in the eye.

She was confused again. "Stick around? Why?"

"I like you. You're interesting and different. A mystery wrapped in an enigma, so to speak. And I think it will be fun trying to figure you out."

"So, I'm like a game?" She didn't know whether to be insulted or amused.

"Sorta." He smiled. "Either way, you get an apartment that's not in your name so you can continue to hide here in our quaint, yet strange little town."

"And I would owe you one." She murmured, mulling it over in her head.

"Another one." He reminded her with a pointed finger in her direction.

She was silent for a few moments as she debated internally. It was a good opportunity but she wasn't sure she wanted to owe someone two favors; especially Duke. He was charming and sweet but there was something wicked about him as well. With a resigned sigh she realized she couldn't make up her mind. "I'll think about it." She offered.

"Offer expires at midnight." He countered.

"I'll know by then." She assured him.

A movement by the front door caught his attention. Duke frowned at the man who entered, a tall, broody guy with blue eyes and grim line set in his mouth. He was skinny and dressed casually but something about him radiated authority. He was completely average looking until your met his eyes; she didn't think she'd ever seen a more beautiful set of eyes on another human being. She felt her heart flutter as he looked their way and started toward them.

Duke was less than thrilled by his approach. He became sullen, his mouth quirked in a frown as he crossed his arms. Both men seemed agitated just being near one another. "Nathan." Duke said as the man approached.

Nathan just nodded as an acknowledgment to the greeting. "Gotta question for ya, then I'll be leaving." The man stopped short of their table. He glanced at Hannah but was mostly focused on Duke. "Did you see anything strange last night? Any unusual strangers in the bar?"

Hannah pressed her lips tight together. He was a cop. Sure enough, when he shifted his weight his jacket moved and she could see his gun on his belt, holstered in. With perfect timing she could grab it before he did from her position but she didn't think that would be necessary today. She hoped.

To Duke's credit he didn't flinch or look at her. "Nope, pretty much business as usual. Same drunks here, same quiet night on the docks."

Nathan nodded as if he expected no different. He finally seemed to take notice of her, giving her a quick, tight smile. Duke spoke up before anyone else. "This is Hannah. She's new in town, thinking of staying a while." Nathan looked at her more closely. She tried to look sweet and innocent, smiling like an idiot. "This is Nathan, Detective Wuornos to his friends."

"Detective." Hannah reached out a hand for him to shake. He shook her hand with a slight nod of his head but didn't speak, merely looked at her curiously. After an awkward moment he turned back to Duke with a less friendly look.

"Audrey thought I should come ask you, she has this idea that you know a lot of things that go on in this town."

"She's a smart lady." Duke replied with a smile that didn't light his eyes. "Is there trouble going on with strangers?"

"Just a regular old crime, don't get excited." Nathan turned to leave. "If you think of anything, let me know."

"Detective," Hannah called, a thought crossing her mind that she didn't like. She had a feeling, an intuition, and when she had those they were usually spot on. She hoped this one wasn't. "Where was the crime? Just so I know where to avoid."

Nathan turned and gave her a strange look. He probably shouldn't tell her, the last thing he'd want was gawkers at his crime scene. After a moment he must have deemed her harmless. If only he knew. "Storm Crow Inn. Stay away from down town for a few hours." He turned and left.

Hannah looked over to Duke, her jaw almost on the table. He looked equally shocked. "I need to go there." She stood quickly.

"He told you not to go." Duke stood just as quickly.

"You don't strike me as the rule following type. Especially from him." She began toward the door, Duke hot on her heels.

"Nathan and I do not like each other in any sense of the word but I will not go down to a place swarming with cops when he next to ordered us not to go."

She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. He almost ran into her but she didn't notice. She jammed her forefinger in his chest. "Not you, _me_, he warned _me_ to stay away from down town. While I appreciate your help, you don't have to go down there with me. I _have_ to go. I have to see what happened."

He pinched her finger with the thumb and fingers of his left hand and dropped her hand to their side. "How are you going to find it?"

"Find what?"

"The Inn?"

She shrugged, stepping back from him. "It's an Inn, it can't be that hard to find."

"There are four Inns in downtown alone." He looked smug.

Hannah shook her head. "It's not like downtown New York City. It's a town. It'll be the place with police tape and police men swarming around it."

"I'll get you there faster," he sing songed as she tried to turn away.

She turned back to him, chewing the inside of her cheek in contemplation. He was being a royal pain in the ass but he was right. He would make things go faster. "Don't you have a restaurant to run?" She tried one last attempt.

"It's funny, the thing practically runs itself." He grinned, stepping forward and putting an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward his car. "It's like magic."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: I've noticed in this story that I have to consciously not sweat the details. It's more about the telling than the little things. Sometimes it bothers me when I reread it, that I didn't fully explain something. Then I remember I wrote this for me, it's fanfiction, and I need to worry about the story telling, making sure it's at least logical, and fun. That's my focus in this story. That, and keeping characters true to the originals as best I can- especially Duke. He can be fun to write.

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 3: The Murder

They got to the Inn in less than ten minutes. It was a downtown but the town was built like a maze of one way streets, hills, and curves. On her own it might have taken her hours to find the place. She wanted to thank Duke but he'd probably tell her she owed him another one. She didn't want to be in his debt any more than she already was.

The Inn was its own city block, three stories, right out of a novel. It was brick with stained glass windows and a grand entrance way. The doors were propped open to give the police easier access to get in and out. There was a small crowd gathered at the police tape but not many onlookers. The police were hardly paying attention to the civilians.

Duke followed her around the perimeter laid out with yellow tape. Most of the police were inside the building or waving traffic by. No one even looked at her or Duke. "Stay here." She pointed at him and he held up his hands.

"I have no desire to be arrested. Staying put." He shook his head. She could tell he thought she was crazy. At the moment, she didn't care.

Right next to the building she slipped under the caution tape. She slid close to the door, staying low and near the wall. She moved slowly and stayed in the shadow the building threw in the afternoon sun. She was nowhere near invisible but her quiet stealth training was coming in handy.

At the door she strained to tune in her hearing to what was being said. She recognized Nathan's voice; he was talking to someone who sounded like he might be the desk clerk.

"So two men checked in, but only one checked out this morning?" That was Nathan.

"Y-yes, the same man checked out who checked them in. I saw the two come in last night, late. They said they had been down to the docks, looking to buy a boat." That must have been the clerk. He sounded upset.

"You didn't think that was weird? Looking at boats in the dark?" This was a woman's voice she didn't recognize. Must be another cop. Audrey?

"Well, no-yes. It could be weird. I honestly wasn't paying attention, people do weird things in this town and I just go about my business." The clerk again.

"Was it strange he left alone?" Nathan again. "Two people check in, one checks out. That didn't strike you as odd?"

"Well it would be, except there was someone waiting in the car. I couldn't see who. They pulled up, the man got out, checked out, and got back in the car and left. The second guy never left the car." The clerk's voice was cracking.

"So it could have been a different guy." Girl's voice again.

"Well, it had to be. That one…up there." The clerk took a deep breath. "That was the second guy when they checked in."

"Thanks, Bob." Nathan's voice. The sound of the two cops were coming her way, toward the door, but she wanted to hear what they had to say. She held her ground as Nathan's voice approached. "So two guys check in, one gets murdered, and two guys leave. Third guy must have come in sometime this morning. Maybe he's the one who killed this guy."

A gurney was rolled out past her, covered in a white sheet from head to toe. There was obviously a body underneath that was very obviously dead. Hannah was about to be spotted. She inched her way back toward the tape line where Duke might be waiting. If he was smart, he'd be long gone.

"Or maybe the one who ordered it. There could be a boss/flunkie situation here." The girl's voice. She was coming out the door. Blond, short, well dressed. Athletic and spunky. She'd be a tough opponent. Hannah ducked under the tape, moving backward, and stood just in time to see Nathan exit the building and turn and look directly at her.

"Whew!" An exaggerated sigh of relief was heard in her ear from Duke. "Close one. What the hell were you doing?" He whispered as Nathan stalked toward them, the blond watching with a mixture of amusement and confusion.

"I thought I told you NOT to come here." His eyes danced when he was angry. She found him momentarily enchanting. She might like angering him more often.

"I took it more as a suggestion." Hannah replied nonchalantly.

"You know better." Nathan glared at Duke.

"Hey, I'm just the chauffer in this debacle." Duke held up his hands innocently.

"It's not his fault, don't get angry at him." Hannah stood on her tip toes to get in Nathan's eye line and break the death glare he had on Duke. "I wanted to come."

Nathan looked at her with confusion. "To a crime scene?"

"You were so vague and mysterious; I wanted to see what was going on. If you would have just said it was a death I wouldn't have come." She forced a shudder. "I had no desire to see a dead body."

"I don't think Detective Wuornos would give out details of an investigation to a random stranger." The blond girl decided to join the conversation, walking up from behind Nathan.

"Audrey, how lovely to see you this afternoon." Duke perked up and smiled at her. "This is no random stranger. _This_ is Hannah." He introduced. Hannah was glad he didn't give her last name. The last thing she needed was the police searching her alias for background. They wouldn't find much on her, if anything at all, but it would alert people she'd rather leave un-alerted.

"Ah, Hannah. So we're no longer strangers." Audrey the blond smiled at her with sincerity.

"I don't want details; talking about death makes me a bit queasy." Hannah lied, putting a hand to her stomach. "I was just curious. You know what they say about curiosity and cats. Well, it's obviously true. So I'll be off."

"We'll be off. I have to take you to your apartment." Duke reminded her.

"Oh," She turned to him. "Oh, yeah, okay." Turning back to the two detectives in front of her she began backing away slowly. "Nice to meet you both today. Hopefully we can meet again." She smiled. "In a 'hanging out' capacity, not an official one." She added for cuteness sake.

They walked away, back toward Duke's car. "Do you mind filling me in?" He asked her when they were in the car and a block from the Inn.

"Yes." Hannah stared out her window.

"Yes? What's that-"

"Yes, I mind." She replied evenly.

He whipped the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks. "I'm not going any farther until you tell me what the _hell_ is going on. Who are you?"

She turned in her seat toward him. She wasn't angry, she wasn't forceful; she was even toned, almost amused. "I don't have to tell you anything. There is nothing in a friendship contract that says all secrets must be divulged. Friendship is about trust and acceptance. Now I trusted you and I accept you, despite being a pain in the butt for most of the time I've known you. All I ask is for a little bit of the same."

He stared at his steering wheel as though he wished he could light it on fire with his eyes. His thumbs tapped a steady, rapid beat on the leather. She knew he wanted to yell, scream, make her tell him what he wanted to know. The curiosity was killing him. But she had already sized him up, way back when she first saw him on the deck of his boat. He would take the high road, he see the logic in what she said and go with it. For now. She knew she couldn't keep him at bay forever. She hoped she didn't have to.

"So we're friends now." He asked finally, his voice much calmer. Hannah sat back in her seat.

"We've been friends since our eyes met on your deck." She replied drly.

He let out a half sigh, half laugh but she saw him nod from the corner of his eye. "Yea, I guess so." He agreed. "You're going to have to tell what's going on with that body though. And why you lied to Nathan and Audrey. Lord knows I've lied to the police a few times but you were playing a part in front of them and I don't get it."

"There are things the police do not need to know." Hannah replied, looking out her window again.

"Nathan could tell." Duke pulled the car back out onto the street.

Hannah whipped her head toward him. "What?"

Duke shrugged. "He could tell you were lying. He's like that."

"How do you know?"

"I know his looks."

"You could tell by looking at him, looking at me, that he knew I was lying?"

"Pretty much."

"Strange."

"I get that look from him a lot." Duke chuckled. "And it's usually right. No, it's always right. Human lie detector."

"Great." Hannah muttered, sinking in her seat and chewing on her bottom lip.

"Here's the apartment. It's close to everything in town and only three blocks from the water. I'm sure you'll like it." Duke pulled the car over more gently this time.

"Is it expensive?"

"Does it matter?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note**: When writing this I like to glam over events and time that are not relevant. Sometimes hours, sometimes days or weeks; I feel like those times are normal things. Those are the days the TV shows don't show you and as a writer, they aren't important. The story I'm telling focuses on the important parts, so days and weeks will be skipped. Just think of them as business as usual.

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 4: Nathan

Papers signed, Duke drove her back to get her car. They didn't talk much this time in the car, both lost in their own thoughts of the afternoon. She drove back to the apartment and took up her two bags to unpack. Her thoughts were racing with everything that was going on; making her apartment feel like home was last on her 'to do' list today.

The two men that were chasing her on the dock, one was now dead. Audrey had it right, their boss must have come, figured out they messed up, and killed one for incompetence. The other one was walking a tight line until she was found.

Hannah was not upset about the death. One less villain in the world, she was sure. She was upset that it brought the police into things, that they had to do an investigation. That might muddy the waters and cause her not able to stay for very long.

Which brought her to her next troubling thought: why? Why did she want to stay in Haven? She didn't know anybody, she had no attachments, no reasons to stay. Sure, Duke was an interesting person but if she never saw him again she could live with that. The Detective, Nathan, he was definitely someone she could get interested in but at the current moment he pretty much ranked her with Duke in the unlikable category. So why stay?

There was something, something about the town that was compelling her. She couldn't put her finger on it but she knew in her soul she was meant to be there, meant to stay, for at least a little while. So nice of Duke to help in that capacity, setting her up in this apartment.

It came furnished, though sparsely. She wouldn't complain; she never had her own place before. He job demanded travel and short visits. She'd been all over the world but never in one spot more than a few days. She lived in hotel rooms and cabins. Since she was ten, she'd never really had a place to call home.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. She had no idea who it could be but she wasn't worried. Anyone it was could be taken down with a single palm heel to the bridge of the nose if she was threatened. No one could move faster than she could.

It wasn't a threat; it was Nathan Wuornos.

"Detective." Her voice showed her surprise.

"Can I come in?" He was very pleasant but she heard the wariness in his voice. He wasn't sure about her.

With a sunny smile and a large gesture she opened the door wider. "Be my guest."

He walked in, glancing around the place without seeing it. It wasn't much; the dining room and kitchen were one, separated from the living room area by a large opening. The bathroom was small and the bedroom barely big enough for a queen bed with no dresser.

"Cozy." He looked at her. "Not much in here."

"It came decorated. I don't know if I have the heart to change it."

"Or the time." He replied quietly so she could barely hear him. He continued to walk around her place, toward the living room. She followed him at a distance.

"Did I do something wrong?" She finally asked him.

His blue eyes pierced her from across the room. She could see how they might be intimidating to someone less strong willed than she. "I don't know."

"Fair enough." How could he know? He didn't know anything about her. His answer was smart and she could appreciate that. "Why are you here?"

He held out one hand with a lopsided, insincere smile. "To welcome you to the neighborhood."

She giggled. "Oh, I doubt that." She took a few steps toward him. "You don't come to a girl's home without a reason, detective. Are you on the clock?"

"This is not a social call." He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, looking away from her. "I have a few questions."

"You had to come to my place to ask them?" She stopped and leaned against the counter/bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room. She was only two feet away from him. She couldn't stop him from pulling a gun on her but she could disarm him before he could shoot her. This was the way her brain worked.

"I wanted to see it. I couldn't believe Duke signed the lease for you. I'm not quite sure that's legal."

"I don't think Duke would have it any other way." She grinned.

"True." He agreed. "But why did he?"

"Is that an official question?"

"Off the record." He leaned against the bar in a similar manner, facing her, sizing her up.

Hannah sighed and leaned backward, resting both elbows behind her on the counter. "Duke was helping me out. My credit is crummy and I didn't want to miss the chance of having a place to stay. He's a nice guy."

Nathan couldn't stop the snort from escaping. "One, no, he's not. Two, you're lying." There was a smile in his eyes but it didn't reach his lips. That was opposite of most people and very intriguing to her. "Something is going on between you two and it involves that man who was murdered this morning."

Hannah blinked at him, floored by his words. She couldn't believe that he was revealing investigation details for one and for two she couldn't believe he was confronting her. Unless...

"You figure I'm a victim here." She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Maybe."

"Are we on the record now?"

He nodded in response. She sighed. "Why do you think I'm involved with what happened at the hotel?"

"I ask questions, you just need to answer."

"Why isn't your partner here?"

"Answers first."

Hannah sighed again, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. He was stubborn. If she thought about it, it made sense. He mentioned a crime, she showed up at the crime scene. Why would she be curious unless she was involved somehow? He just wasn't sure if she was a victim or a suspect.

"Okay, ask." She finally said.

"What brings you to Haven?"

"Business."

"What type of business?"

She turned to look at him, pressing her lips together and shrugging. "Top secret."

"I'm serious." His eyes told her he was. She returned the look full force.

"So am I."

He stared at her another moment before continuing. "Is your business over?"

"Yes." She answered truthfully.

"Then why are you still here?"

She blinked, realizing she had just been asking herself that same question before he came in. "To start over." The words were out before she thought about them.

He looked surprised at that. It was unexpected for them both. He shook it off and continued his questioning, looking less sure of himself now. "Did you know the man that was killed this morning?"

"Not personally."

"What does that mean?"

She sighed, walking away from him, toward her couch. What to tell him without giving away information she didn't want to give. "It means, I didn't know the guy. I'd never met him, didn't know his name, wouldn't recognize him if I saw him."

Nathan sank on the couch next to her. "But you knew _of_ him?" He was trying to understand.

"I know that he was a bad person who did bad things." She turned her head to meet his eyes. "That's all I know about him."

Nathan's voice was very soft as he asked, "Why was he in Haven?"

Hannah bit her bottom lip again; it was her tell when she was nervous or anxious. He answered for her. "For you." She gave a half shrug but he looked away as though she outright confirmed it.

She gave him a minute to process it. There wasn't a whole lot to go on; she was being purposely vague yet still answering his questions. Plus, there was no way he'd ever figure out the truth on his own. Some days she didn't even believe it.

"Duke. What does he have to do with this?" Nathan's voice hardened as he spoke about the man.

Hannah ran a hand through her dark hair, pushing it back away from her face. "He was just in the right place at the right time to help me out. He's quick and funny and we were just friends right away. Like I said, he's a nice guy."

"I distinctly remember disagreeing with you."

"You have your reasons." Hannah conceded with a head tilt.

"You're not going to tell me more, are you?"

"Do you think I'm a killer?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then you don't need to know any more. I'm a good person, detective. Just want to start over with a quiet, normal life."

"Then you shouldn't have picked Haven." Nathan stood with a strange smile on his face. "That man was murdered by his partner. The security cameras gave us a timeline that all but shows us the shooting."

"You came in here knowing that I was innocent?" She tried to work up indignation but she couldn't find a place in her heart to blame him. "Questioned me already knowing answers?"

"I still don't have answers." He countered, heading toward the door. She stood to follow him, seeing him out. "Can we expect more of this? Are more people after you?"

"You make me sound like a fugitive."

"That wasn't a cop that was murdered. You're right, that guy was bad news. The bad guys are after you. That makes you a really bad guy or a good guy. From what I know of you, I'd like to think the latter."

"There shouldn't be any more. They'll never think to come back here for me. Haven should be safe."

Nathan smiled at her, the first one that hit both his lips and his eyes. "They may not come looking for you, but I don't know that I'd ever call Haven a 'safe' place, Hannah." He shut the door behind himself with a good night, leaving her to stare after him in awe and wonder and little bit of fear.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Wow, no babbling at the beginning of this chapter. Hope you enjoy. :)

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 5: Questions

The next day was rife with possibility. A weight was lifted off of her shoulders; she didn't think the police would investigate far enough into the death of the man to connect her back to it. The bad guys were following the trail she left and she didn't have to check in with anyone to update them on her progress. Normal was going to be relaxing.

She dressed quickly and left the apartment. First things first when you move to a new place: shopping. She visited the quaint downtown stores and bought a few odds and ends her apartment was lacking. She bought some cute summer clothes since most of what she owned was black and practical. She found herself casing the places she went and sizing up the people around out of habit; most of the time she could push the paranoia away but a few times she had to leave a store out of fear of being followed. Every time she panicked, she ended up being wrong.

But that was okay; she'd rather be wrong about it than right. By lunch she was exhausted and starving so she stopped in a little restaurant near the beach, ordered a sandwich and sat at a table on the boardwalk to eat in the sun. She never thought of herself as a beach or ocean person but she was beginning to like it.

"Hannah, right?" A female voice caught her off guard, making her jump. She was rarely caught unawares and it unnerved her a bit. Still, she forced a smile at the petite blond.

"Yea. And you're Audrey."

She nodded and slid in the chair across from Hannah, uninvited. Her eyes were on the beach as if scanning for someone but Hannah saw the tell tale signs that most of Audrey's attention was focused on her. Hannah simply went about eating her sandwich, trying to appear nonchalant as possible.

"Did you know anyone staying at the Storm Crow Inn?" Audrey asked bluntly, breaking the silence.

Hannah blinked then swallowed her bite. "Right to the point." Audrey only nodded again. She looked at Hannah this time, smiling politely. The look wasn't exactly friendly, it was very cop-like. Hannah tilted her head. "I didn't know anyone staying there, why?"

"You heard about a crime there and rushed down to see. I was just following a hunch."

"A hunch that I would know someone? Like the victim?"

"Maybe. It was just a question." Audrey tapped her fingers innocently on the table top.

Hannah smiled brightly. "Cops don't usually ask people questions unless they suspect something."

"Ah, but detectives follow leads and intuition, wherever it may lead them."

"I don't want to play word games with you, detective. I want to be frank and honest. I didn't know anyone staying there and I don't know what happened. I know as much as any other person in this town; someone was killed at the hotel the other morning. Police are investigating but the person who did it is likely long gone. That's it." Hannah shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich, watching Audrey impassively.

The blond pressed her lips together in a thin line, obviously not believing her. What was up with the cops in this town? They were impossible to lie to. And Hannah was a very, very good liar. "What brings you to Haven?" The detective was trying another tactic.

"Business." Hannah was positive she wouldn't get away with the same lines she gave Nathan last night but she was sure going to try.

"What business?"

"Look, Detective…"

"Parker."

"Detective Parker, I am not a criminal. I am just a girl who came here for business, had some vacation time and decided to stick around for a while. I just picked a bad time to stay, it seems, since all this stuff seemed to happen at the same time."

Audrey tipped her head, studying Hannah for a few moments. Hannah could see her brain working something out, something that the detective hadn't thought of before. "I can relate to that." She finally said, smiling down at the table. "Haven is a beautiful town."

"Quaint and cozy. A change from the big city. I'm already in love with it." Hannah grinned, finishing her lunch. "Am I free to go? Or did you have more questions?"

"This wasn't an interrogation." Audrey looked over at her. "Like I said, hunches and intuition."

"Which aren't always accurate." Hannah pointed out.

"Not always." Audrey agreed.

Hannah stood and pointed in the direction she was headed. "I'm off to get some groceries for my place. You're welcome to come with me if you want." Nice and polite, just the way the police liked it. Playing a role.

"No, that's alright." Audrey stood as well. "I have to be going back to work. Thanks for your time."

"Anytime Detective Parker." Hannah smiled and went on her way, her heart beating a mile a minute at her unscathed escape.

* * *

><p>A knock on the door surprised her. "Two nights in a row? And I don't even know more than three people in this town." She muted her TV and stood to answer it, going over every possible scenario she might need to pull off in order to defend herself. Again, she had gotten over anxious about nothing. Duke was standing there, holding a bottle of wine in one hand, grinning from ear to ear.<p>

"Housewarming!" He exclaimed, pushing his way into her apartment.

"I don't think I invited you in yet." Hannah crossed her arms but she was smiling.

"My name's on the lease, don't need an invite." Duke set the wine on her bar.

"Don't think that's enough to earn you a key." Hannah tsked, walking over to look at the label. "Whoa, Duke, that's expensive wine. It's just an apartment, not an actual house."

"The lady knows her wine, I like that." Duke was wandering around the place, touching what he pleased and generally invading all things personal. "I've been saving it for a special occasion. Nothing spectacular has come up lately so I thought this would do."

"So I rate somewhere between spectacular and special? I don't know if that's good or scary." She set the bottle down and walked into her kitchen area to grab some glasses. "We'll have to use regular glasses; I don't have any wine glasses."

"Wine is wine." Duke replied, looking through her very small DVD collection. He wandered back over to her bar as she poured the glasses. "At least they aren't plastic." He commented, smirking at her.

"To small victories." Hannah toasted. They took their drinks; Hannah had to force hers down. She didn't like alcohol and wine was her least favorite thing. It was sweet but dry and very alcohol tasting. She forced a smile at Duke. "Mmm, good." She nodded.

"So you're settling in okay? No problems?" Duke asked, pulling up a bar stool to sit on. Hannah leaned on the bar from the kitchen side, across from him.

"It's been fine. The police ask lots of questions but I suppose I deserve that."

"You did cross their precious yellow tape."

"They didn't see that."

"As far as you know." He took another drink and looked at her with concern. "Why did you do that, by the way? And what were you doing by the door?"

Hannah sighed and looked down. Of course he'd ask. Duke was inquisitive by nature. He also seemed to be a good secret keeper and she had already learned she could trust him- so far. "I was listening to Nathan and Audrey talk to the desk clerk. I wanted to find out what happened."

"Read it in the paper like everyone else. That won't get you arrested if you're caught."

"Like you worry about being arrested for 'bending' the law." Hannah teased.

"I don't like to tempt fate any more than I have to." Duke corrected.

"The papers don't tell you everything." She reminded him. "I needed to hear exactly what happened. To make sure I was safe."

"It was risky." He seemed to be a cross between concerned and upset with her for it.

"Are you worried about me?" She was partly teasing, partly worried. He didn't know her well enough to be concerned for her and she definitely didn't want to get so involved in her life that he needed to feel concern.

He himself seemed conflicted. "Maybe."

She cocked her head to the side to size him up. "You strike me as the type that worries about himself, not others."

"You think I'm shallow and narcissistic?" He seemed offended.

"In a good way."

"How is there any good in that?"

"Are you telling me you're not those things?" She was a good judge of character. She wasn't calling him names to hurt his feelings; she was calling it as she saw it.

He sighed, unable to be mad at her for being truthful. "Maybe I am, but not always. Everyone always thinks I'm such a bad guy. I'm not."

"Oh, I don't think you're a bad guy, Duke." Hannah shook her head. She walked around the bar and pulled up a stool to sit next to him. "Just yesterday night was I defending your honor to your friend Nathan."

"Nathan is not my friend." Duke finished his wine and poured himself some more.

"I know, that was sarcasm." Hannah rolled her eyes. "The point being, I told him that you were a good person. I'm sure you can be self-centered and you strike me as the type that looks out for number one, but you also helped me when you didn't have to. That means you have a kind heart and good soul deep down." She shrugged. "Just sometimes it's buried really deep down."

He looked at her funny. "You've known me two days and you know this about me?"

"Am I wrong?"

He sighed and downed the glass in a big gulp. "Not really, no."

They were silent a few moments, him sipping his drink, her twirling her untouched wine around in her glass. Finally he broke the stillness. "Who were those men?"

Hannah swallowed the urge to sigh in annoyance. He just wasn't dropping this. "We had this conversation. On your boat."

"Yes, but now one is dead. Murdered. What are you tied up in?"

"It's a long story that I might tell you some day. Just not today." Hannah dumped her wine into his empty glass when it was obvious she wasn't going to drink any more. Duke didn't seem to notice.

"Murder is serious." He told her.

"I didn't say it wasn't."

"You're oddly calm about the whole situation."

Hannah nodded, looking away from him. "Being honest, I am a little shaken up. I didn't expect there to be killing involved with this whole situation. But," She ran a hand through her hair, looking back at him before continuing. "I also know that it's over. The man who did this is gone. The men after me are gone. And the probability of them finding me here is next to zero. So, yeah, I'm calm. Not worried." After a pause she added, "You shouldn't be either."

"I'll be worried until you explain it all to me so I understand." Duke informed her, downing the rest of his wine. His eyes were already starting to droop; he had consumed half the bottle in less than fifteen minutes.

"In due time." She promised.

There was more silence as Duke thought about what she told him. Eventually Hannah jerked her thumb toward the TV. "Wanna watch a movie with me?" she asked, trying to change the mood in the room.

"There are so many things I want to do with you. Watching a movie is low on the list." He smiled at her wistfully. "But tonight, I'll take it."

She let him pick the movie. He drank the rest of the bottle and tried to grope her many times during the parts he was awake. He even tried to kiss her once. Hannah was very good at discretely backing out of his awkward, drunken advances. He fell asleep before the movie was over and she covered him up on her couch and went to bed, shaking her head. Of all the people in Haven, this guy was the one she found to be her best friend. Outside looking in, he wouldn't have been her first choice. But now, she wouldn't trade him for the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 6: Saving the Day

The days that followed were routine and quiet. She loved it. Her life had never been either of those things and the steadiness of Haven was a comfort and refreshing. She spent her days on the beach or hanging out on her couch; she spent her evenings at The Gray Gull watching the locals party and making small talk with Duke.

The police investigation had been dropped by the local police department. The suspects had fled town the morning of the incident and it was now in the jurisdiction of the feds. In Haven, the police had more local matters to worry about. If hard pressed, the cops might even let slip that the death of an apparent thug wasn't high on the investigation priority list anyway.

Hannah didn't talk much with Nathan or Audrey in her first month in Haven. She liked to play cards with Duke and some of his less than reputable friends occasionally but for the most part she kept to herself. As far as she could tell her false trail was still leading the bad guys around, far away from where she actually was. In another month she could stop leaving trails altogether and be permanently erased- as long as she was careful.

On her one month anniversary of staying in Haven, Hannah felt a pull. It was the first intuition she had since driving back to Haven from the bus station. On auto pilot, Hannah followed her instincts until she reached a bluff overlooking the town. There was no one there at the moment but that didn't mean anything. She found a dry spot of grass and sat down to enjoy the view and wait patiently.

A lot of her job had been about waiting and using her senses. Part of what she could do was extend her senses beyond what a person could normally do. It wasn't anything superhero-esque; she could differentiate between more smells, see things far away crystal clear, hear things out of earshot better than most people. She wasn't magic or a mutant, just practiced. Waiting didn't bother her either; she was used to it. She didn't have to wait long this time.

Footsteps up the path behind her were placed carefully. She heard them despite the fact that whoever was placing them was trying to be silent.

Stealthily, Hannah slid into the shadows of the trees nearby. She heard the quiet footsteps come to rest and some rustling as whoever it was sat down or squatted low. She couldn't see the person but she smelled sandalwood and fresh cut grass. It was strangely appealing.

A crashing sound cut through her wandering thoughts. Her eyes snapped to a man coming from the opposite direction of where she heard the previous footsteps. He was dragging a young girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen, behind him. She looked scared and he looked wild eyed. Great, some sort of kidnapping/hostage situation. Couldn't she ever get a break from her job?

She watched as he pulled her close to the edge of the bluff. "Yer mom was wrong, ya know. She was dead wrong." He was muttering quietly but Hannah could still hear him.

"Dave, you don't have to-" The teenager tried to calm him but he just shook her harder.

"She's gonna learn, one way or another. I'll learn her but good." His words were slurred enough that he had to be drunk or drugged up. Either way, he was dangerous. There was a pistol in his free hand and he began waving it toward the girl's face. "Never loved me, yer mom. Always givin' me trouble. Now she wanna kick me out when she knows I ain't got a place to go. Not good for _you_, she says. Well, if I get riddaya, then she won't have nuthin' to complain 'bout, right?"

"You're not making any sense." The girl's voice was shaking. It was obvious he wanted to do more than just hurt her; he was there to kill her.

"Dave!" The shout came from Hannah's right, the direction the quiet footsteps had come from. She recognized Nathan immediately. He had his gun out and trained on the drunk man. "Let's talk about this, Dave." Nathan said calmly.

Dave's eyes grew wide and he pulled the girl to his chest, using her as a shield. He stuck the gun to her temple. "I have no problems killin' her, Nathan."

"There doesn't have to be any killing today, Dave. Let's talk this out." Nathan was trying his hardest to negotiate but Hannah could see the situation was already out of hand. The man had escalated and currently had nothing to lose. The girl was going to be toast and even with a gun Nathan couldn't do a thing about it.

But she could.

With a deep breath she didn't give herself time to second guess her decision. She pulled her gun from her pant's waistband; she always kept it in the car and her instincts had told her to bring it up to the bluff with her. She trained it on Dave, looking for a spot to bring him down but not kill him. Unfortunately for Dave, he was blocking all the good take down points with the girl.

It wasn't a matter of accuracy; she could shoot him at any point on his body that she wanted. The girl was only a variable in that she concealed parts of his body that were needed for a non lethal solution. She would give Nathan a few more minutes to negotiate. If he didn't get anywhere, she would take him down before he hurt the girl. The man had crossed the line into 'bad guy' in her book so she wasn't afraid to kill him.

"Doesn't matter, Nathan. Becky kicked me out. Said I was no good." The man seemed sad at his own words. Hannah couldn't blame Becky; he did seem worthless.

"What will hurting Sara do? It will only make Becky angrier." Nathan tried logic. Good luck with that one.

"If Sara's gone, she'll need someone to take care of. Becky likes takin' care of people." Dave's logic was less than sound but it obviously worked for him.

"She does. Becky's a good person. She's taken care of you for a while."

"But she won't now! She says I'm no good for Sara to be around." Dave was practically sobbing. His gun hand shook. Still he didn't move Sara in any way that helped Hannah get a better shot. She clicked her safety off.

"Well, why don't we talk with her about that? I am sure we can work something out. What I do know is that Becky won't forgive you if you hurt Sara. So let's put the gun down." Nathan's voice was slow and steady. She had to give him credit, he didn't sound like he was panicking.

Dave seemed to be in thought. Hannah stared in awe, wondering if Nathan's words really made an impact. "Put _your_ gun down." Dave demanded. Hannah was impressed that the drunk was thinking clearly enough to make a fairly smart request.

Nathan didn't comply right away. "Dave, I really can't do that."

"I'll let her go, if you put the gun down. If you keep it on me, you'll just shoot me when I let her go."

"As an officer of the law, I cannot shoot you if you let your hostage go."

"You can shoot me if I have a gun in my hand. Put yours down and I'll let her go."

It was a tough one. Drunk as he was, he was probably lying. But Nathan couldn't gamble on that choice, he was in this to get the hostage to safety. Hopefully he had backup right around the corner. Little did he know he had back up right now. Hannah was holding herself steady, waiting for her opportunity.

Nathan sank slowly, setting his gun on the ground in front of him. Dave had him kick it to the side, well out of reach. When Nathan had done so, Dave flung Sarah toward the edge of bluff and pointed his gun at Nathan.

Many things happened in that instant. The first, that was forever burned into Hannah's brain, was Sara's face as she lost her balance and slid over the edge of the bluff. Next, was the process of Hannah trying to decide whether to follow her revenge instinct and kill the man or do 'the right thing' and try to take him in alive. Either way, he was pulling his gun on Nathan and was probably going to shoot him. Those thoughts took less than a second to cross her mind and it took her even less time to react.

Hannah stood forward and shouted, "Stop!"

Dave was startled; Nathan was startled; Hannah was calm. The men looked at her as she stepped forward, gun aimed at Dave's head. He kept his own gun pointed at Nathan's chest. Somewhere in the back of Hannah's mind she realized this was very time sensitive. If Sara's fall hadn't killed her they needed to get her to a hospital immediately. "Put your gun down."

Dave sneered at her. "Sorry if I don't find pretty little girls playin' at bein' cop scary."

"Hannah, I don't know what you're doing but don't-"

Hannah ignored Nathan and continued her conversation with Dave. "Dave, you are a very, very bad person. You're a drunk, a bad influence, and now possibly a murderer. I have no sympathy for you whatsoever and no badge to keep me accountable. I _will_ shoot you. My aim is flawless but I have two choices. I can hurt you or I can kill you. Either choice sounds good to me, I don't have a preference."

He blinked at her, unsure of whether or not to believe her. His shaky hand kept the gun trained on Nathan.

"Since Nathan here would rather have you alive, I'll give you ten seconds to make your own choice. You can put the gun down, or I can shoot you."

"You can't shoot me before I shoot him." Dave didn't sound very confident.

"Eight seconds."

"Hannah," Nathan's voice was a warning.

"I don't believe you," Dave decided.

"Five." She warned.

Dave looked unsure. She was tired of waiting. With a movement quicker than the human eye could see she tilted her aim and shot him in the arm. The way the bullet hit caused his hand to release the gun as he cried out in agony. Nathan grabbed the gun as it hit the ground near him. Dave was cradling his injured arm, trying to stem the blood with his other hand. He was crying and cursing and screaming in pain.

Hannah didn't concern herself with any of it. Holstering her gun back into her waistband she jogged to the edge of the bluff to look down and find Sara. Amazingly, the girl was on a ledge less than ten feet down. She was actually struggling to climb back up toward the top.

"Sara! Hold on, we'll get something to help you." Hannah called down.

The girl looked up at her. "Rock climbing is my hobby. I'll be up in a minute. I heard a shot, is Dave dead?"

Hannah looked over her shoulder. Nathan was on his cell phone and Dave was keeling over, complaining loudly, but very much alive. She looked back down at Sara. "No, not dead. But definitely going to jail for a long, long time."

When Sara was safe home with her mother and Dave was patched up at the hospital and sent to a jail cell, Nathan finally found a moment to confront Hannah at the police station. He drug her by her upper arm into his office and slammed the door closed, sliding the lock into place with a very audible click. It was just him and her.

He glared at her with those icy eyes and she remembered back when she thought she ought to get him angry more often. It was still true; he was sexy when pissed. She fought back a smirk and looked at her toes instead.

"What in the hell was that?" He asked her.

"You'll have to be more specific." She couldn't help it; it was in her nature to be vague.

He took a deep breath. "You know what I mean. First, what were you doing up there?"

"It looked like a pretty spot. Nice view of the town." Hannah looked up to meet his eyes as she lied.

"I didn't see you there when I showed up. So you were already hidden."

Hannah nodded. "I heard footsteps. I like to see who's around before they see me."

"That's weird."

"Is it a crime?"

He paused then crossed his arms. "No." He admitted. "The gun?"

"Mine. I have a license for it. It's very legal."

"Why did you have it up on a "pretty" bluff for sightseeing?" He was sarcastic now. Perfect.

"Wild animals." She replied simply.

"A hand gun?"

"My rifle is in the shop."

He shook his head. He decided to move on. "So you chose to stay hidden."

"I had you covered." She agreed.

"Are you a cop?"

"No." She replied truthfully.

"Army? Navy? Coast Guard?"

"None of the above."

"You talk like a cop." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Too many TV shows."

"Is it true what you said?" He asked.

"Which part? I've said a lot of things."

"About your 'flawless' aim?"

She tilted her head, considering him. "What do you think?"

He paused again. He took a few steps closer to her, stopping less than a foot away. "I think that shot you made was perfect."

"Thank you-"

"Too perfect. According to the doctor you hit the nerves just right to make the hand spasm open instead of closed."

"Lucky shot," She didn't like where this was going. She tried her best to glare at him but his smoldering eyes made it hard to concentrate on being upset with him.

"Very lucky." He agreed.

"You don't think that I could aim for _nerves_, do you?" She scoffed, though that had been exactly what she had done.

"No, but I don't know anyone who would know precisely where to hit to make something like that happen. Hell, I don't know many people that could aim a gun and shoot such a small target."

Hannah pressed her lips together. "Is there a point?"

"You're keeping stuff from me."

"We don't know each other. Can't you just say thank you for saving my life and we can move on?"

"I don't like that you're keeping stuff from me."

"You don't know me." She replied, giving him a strange look. "Why would I tell you anything?"

He reached up and scratched under his eye. He looked away from her for a moment, thinking. He looked back at her with a different look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Thank you." He said quietly.

Startled, she replied automatically, "You're welcome."

"Look, I don't want to be unappreciative. But the fact is, if you're not a cop you can't go around pulling a loaded gun on people. It's technically against the law."

"Even to save a life?" She knew the answer but she didn't agree with it.

"Even." He replied with a sad smile.

"Well, okay then. Next time, I'll let him shoot you." She raised her eyebrows with a shake of her head.

"Next time?" His voice held a hint of a tease.

"Oh, this is not the last time someone pulls a gun on Nathan Wuornos, I guarantee."

"The life of a cop." He conceded.

"But today I'm not arrested, right? Saving your life squares me up on the shooting of a felon?"

Nathan looked abashed. He reached up to scratch the back of his neck. "Yea, about that, don't go around saying you did the shooting, okay. That's going to be our secret."

"What?" Hannah squinted at him. "You didn't put that in your report?"

"No, in the report I shot him."

"Nice shot." She replied sarcastically with an edge of venom.

He held up his hands in defense. "It was the only way I could figure to keep you from being arrested. You'd have to go to trial for shooting him, even if it was to save my life."

Hannah sighed loudly with a little huff at the end. "Justice system bites," she murmured.

"Yea well, we're just lucky we're the only two witnesses. Dave was so drunk he doesn't even remember most of what happened on the hill. As far as anyone knows, you got there in time to help Sara up over the edge. I shot Dave before he could shoot me. Can you go with that story?"

"It's keeping me out of jail so it's now the truth." It was her turn to pause for a thought. She glanced up at him. "Thank you." She seemed as surprised as he was that she said the words. She pushed up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You're a good cop, Wuornos, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She gave him a small smile. He was startled by the gesture and she wasn't willing to stick around to talk about it. She walked past him, unlocked the door, and left the police station.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** So this has been typed and written for months. I just haven't had a moment to go back over it and edit it. Since it's done, I thought I could at least post it. I think have maybe 1 more chapter already written. I will post that eventually as well. Thank you for all the reviews and favorite story adds, I appreciate the support. Hope you enjoy the story…

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 7: The Complication

"You should come out on my boat." Duke was being insistent.

Hannah laughed. "You know I don't like boats."

"But you'll like mine, I promise." Duke opened the top of his second beer. "We can go fishing."

"Yes, girls love to go fishing on big dirty boats." It was Audrey's turn to laugh. She was also on her second beer.

"My boat isn't the only thing big and dirt-"

"Okay then," Hannah interrupted Duke's come back. "I will not being going a boat for fishing or otherwise. What are some other Maine attractions I can do while I'm here?"

Audrey tapped the bottom of her beer bottle lightly on the table as she thought. "I'm fairly new to the area myself. I mean, I've been here for months but I mostly work. There hasn't been a whole lot of time for sightseeing."

"Maine is boring." Duke said for the hundredth time that night.

It was three weeks since the bluff incident. Except for that one evening, life had been normal and routine. Part of Hannah's new routine was to deliver coffee and bagels to the police station three times a week. She told them it was because of all the fine work they were doing in Haven but secretly it was because she wanted to get a glimpse of Nathan whenever possible. She felt like a high school girl with a crush. She didn't care though- it was nice to have some normal feelings to get excited about.

The frequent visits also gave her time to talk to Audrey whom she found she had a lot in common with. The two girls had started hanging out at The Gull a couple evenings a week, usually joined at some point by Duke. Nathan had yet to grace the group but with Duke around, Hannah doubted he'd want to show up. Still, the nights with Duke and Audrey were fun and entertaining and, well, normal. That was what she was here for, right? Normal.

"You can't tell me there is nothing to do here. Why would you live here if there was nothing to do?" Hannah questioned Duke.

"Because there is nothing to do anywhere. Any town, city, or burb has the same few things to do on a Friday night: go to dinner, a movie, bowling, putt putt golf, or dancing at a club. There are slight variations on those themes but generally that's it." Duke took a huge swig of his beer.

"Oooh, I think Duke should institute a karaoke night here." Audrey suggested. "I think that would be fun."

"Yes!" Hannah agreed, sipping her water. "I like it."

"No!" Duke disagreed, holding up a hand. "I draw the line at karaoke. I do not want to hear people sing badly in my restaurant. I have a taste level, you know."

"Nope. Didn't know." Audrey quipped. They all chuckled. Audrey checked her phone for the time and about choked on her beer. "Okay, I gotta go guys. It's late and I have to work tomorrow."

"Boo for work." Hannah gave her a thumbs down.

"I know, I agree. Maybe I'll take some vacation days and we can just travel the coast. Check out some beaches." Audrey stood, putting on her coat.  
>"Now that I can do." Hannah agreed with a smile. She would like to think of Audrey as a friend but the truth was she still always felt like a suspect in the agent's eyes. Even though the murder at the Inn had been dropped locally, Hannah had a feeling Audrey still thought she was involved somehow. Still, it seemed Audrey was good at separating her work from her social life and the offer seemed genuine.<p>

Audrey left, leaving Duke and Hannah staring at each other. Duke was on the tipsy side but she had seen him much drunker on other nights. Still, she was feeling sleepy herself; it was time to call it a night. "Want me to drive you home?" She asked him.

"Nah. I'll walk from your place though." Duke always made sure to walk her to her apartment door. He was being sweet and trying to protect her. Hannah was more than capable of taking care of herself but she liked to let him be sweet to her. It made him feel good about himself and it was harmless.

At her apartment he volunteered to stay the night as he usually did. She turned him down, as she usually did. Her key slid into the lock easily but the door was already open. Duke stood from leaning against the hallway wall abruptly as she pushed the door open without turning her key.

"Don't," he warned, grabbing her arm gently.

"It's okay." She assured him, flipping on the light.

But it wasn't okay. Her apartment was trashed. She didn't have much stuff but she had accumulated a few things over the past two months of living in Haven. What precious little she had was strew about; broken plates, dishes, and glasses were all over the kitchen counters. Things were turned on their side. Clothes were thrown from her room into the living room. Her drapes were askew and her TV was cracked. Someone hadn't come to rob her, they'd come to destroy her place.

"What the…" Duke was staring, jaw dropped in astonishment.

"They've found me." She whispered.

He sobered up instantly at that. He couldn't be exactly sure what she meant but he had a bit of a clue. "They haven't found you. You don't know that."

"Look at this." She gestured toward her ruined home. "This isn't a simple, petty crime. This is a message."

"You're reading into it."

"Duke, this is serious-"

"I know." He turned her toward him. He repeated himself quieter. "I know it's serious. But you're jumping to conclusions before you have the facts. Let's call the police."

She shook her head. "They can't help me."

"They will be able to find out if it's just some kids playing pranks. That's possible."

"But-"

"No buts." Duke pulled out his phone and dialed. "Nathan's not answering. I'm calling the PD. They can come over and check it out but you're staying with me tonight."

"No, I'll go to the police station and-"

"And what? Tell them that you were out all night, came back and place was trashed. Then what? Explain why you might be a target to someone?"

He had a point. She didn't really have an explanation beyond the fact that she was randomly targeted for a crime. She could hardly tell the police who she really thought was behind the vandalism. She nodded at him as his call was answered. He spoke to the police then hung up. "Come on." He took her by the arm and led her away.

She didn't remember getting to his boat. The whole way they were walking she couldn't think of anything but 'they found me.' What was she going to do if that was true? She wasn't ready to leave Haven.

She let Duke lead her to his sleeping quarters. He dug out a tee shirt and pajama pants and handed them to her. "Change, then bed. We are sleeping this terrible night away."

She was too tired to argue. He left her to change. The pajamas were way too big on her but she put them on anyway and crawled under the covers of the bed. She heard Duke come back in but she didn't move. She was too exhausted and too scared to think.

Hannah did move, however, when Duke crawled into bed next to her. "No, no, no, no, no, no." She protested. "You and I are not sleeping in the same bed together."

He looked at her as though she had lost her mind. "It's my bed." He insisted.

"You're not good at keeping your hands to yourself." She reminded him.

"We're two adults, you don't think we can keep to our own sides of the bed?" He asked, looking a bit insulted.

"I know I can, what about you?" She gave him a sideways look.

"I just want to sleep." He assured her. "We'll probably have to deal with Nathan in the morning and I need my beauty rest for that, okay?"

Hannah sighed but sank back down into the bed. "Fine. Good night."

"Good night." Duke rolled over away from her. "And you're welcome by the way."

Rolling her eyes she realized she was being rather ungrateful. She rolled over and leaned over him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear before going back to her side of the bed, closing her eyes, and falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>It was still pitch black when she woke later. She wasn't sure what woke her but whatever it was it didn't fully wake her up. She felt groggy and fuzzy headed. Something was sending off alarm bells in her head but they were distant and indistinct. She couldn't remember for the life of her why she should be worried.<p>

She rolled onto her side and saw Duke sleeping peacefully. Whatever it was hadn't woken him up. She scooted closer to him in the bed, snuggling right up to his side. She gently laid a hand on his chest and closed her eyes, thinking somewhere in the back of her mind she was just cold and he was like a big heat lamp she was drawn to.

Something kept her from falling back asleep though. Still hazy, she blinked a few times before looking up to Duke's face. She felt herself being drawn toward him. She had an urgent desire to kiss him, strip him, lick him, do-

_NO_, her rational mind was able to cut in momentarily. She didn't like Duke that way. Sure he was cute and funny and sweet at times but she had strong feelings for a completely different person. Duke was just a fun buddy to hang out with, she couldn't-

All rational thought left when he opened his eyes sleepily and looked at her. "What are you-" He whispered but she cut him off with a finger to her lips.

She climbed on top of him, straddling him. There was nothing left in her mind save one thought: She wanted Duke Crocker. She leaned forward to kiss him but he stopped her just short, putting gentle pressure on her shoulders. She looked at him curiously.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking a little more awake and completely confused.

"Kissing you." Wasn't it obvious?

"Yes, but why?" He was still confused.

She rubbed her hands over his chest, downward and under his shirt. She pulled it off over his head. He didn't stop her. Leaning close to his ear she whispered, "Because I want you." This time when she went to kiss him, he didn't stop her.

"Who am I to argue that?" He murmured against her mouth, returning the kiss with equal intensity.

Between kisses and clothes flying about the room, she kept whispering his name and how much she wanted him. They seemed to be the only words she was capable of saying but she was so caught up in the moment it didn't matter. He flipped her to her back and she grabbed him, pulling him on top of her. All that mattered in that moment was Duke and being with him.

* * *

><p>The next morning came quickly and brightly. Hannah felt as though she had been drugged, beaten, and left to sleep it off for a week. Her head was pounding and light hurt her eyes. Her first thoughts were of confusion as to where she was. Then in a rush that made her head pound twice as hard, the night's events came flooding back, in order. Not one detail was left out about her evening in those moments of recollection. What had she done?<p>

She turned and looked at the other side of the bed. Duke wasn't there. Maybe that part had been a dream, just a dream from sleeping in a weird place. There was no way she could have done what she thought she did with him; he was just her friend.

Considering the fact that she was naked, the dream theory was really farfetched. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, last night happened the way she was remembering. The question now was why? After she woke in the middle of the night and did…what she did with Duke, she hadn't felt in control of any of her actions. Her brain had been sleeping and she had had no power over what her body did, like someone else was in control. It hadn't been her choice.

It was a weird thought, being under someone else's control, but it wasn't impossible. After what she had been through in her life and her few months in Haven she had an open mind to possibilities most people would find insane. She just had to figure out the who and how. _Simple_, she thought wryly.

She groaned as she rolled over in the bed, hiding under the covers. She was going to have to tell Duke. He would be crushed.

Not that she flattered herself into thinking he was in love with her or anything. No, Duke was not above sex for sex's sake. He probably wasn't above friends having casual sex whenever the mood struck them. But telling him she wasn't in control of what she did last night might be a huge ego blow to him.

_Well, it's not like he doesn't have ego to spare_, she thought grimly, crawling from the bed to find some clothes. The pajamas Duke had given her last night were in separate corners of the room. She tried not to remember how they had gotten there. The one thing she knew was that she had to tell Duke the truth or this was going to get ugly fast. He might be upset at first but better that than to think she was playing him or after something. Lying in this situation wouldn't be in her best interest.

She found him cooking breakfast in the galley section of the ship. It was the nicest part of the inside of the boat, finished in polished wood and fairly clean. He looked up from the scrambled eggs as she entered and grinned. "Morning, babe."

She closed her eyes. Great, she already had a pet name. "Duke," she started but he didn't let her continue.

"Scrambled, overcooked, just like you like them." He slid the eggs onto a paper plate and grabbed an already poured glass of orange juice. He set them on the table behind him and went back to the stove to work on his own. "Toast will be ready in a second."

He looked so happy and was trying to be so sweet. She would rather shoot herself in the leg in that moment then tell him what she had to. Taking a deep breath she tried again. "Duke, we need to talk." She slid into the seat and looked at the eggs but her stomach was turning somersaults as she tried to reason out exactly how she was going to break it to him.

"About what?" he asked, flipping the eggs in his pan.

"About last night." She decided she should at least drink a sip of orange juice as her mouth was suddenly dry.

He looked over at her with a Cheshire grin. "Which part of last night?"

Chewing on her bottom lip she sighed softly, hating every choice of words she had to say next. "A-about what we did."

He put his own eggs on a plate and walked over to sit across from her, his coffee mug already there. He looked at her curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Yes," At his insta-hurt look she backtracked. "No, no. Well, yes and no." This was going swimmingly. She sighed again. "There was nothing bad about it. It was fine." She thought for a moment before correcting herself. "It was good. That's not the problem."

Duke looked as though he didn't know whether to be worried or pleased with himself. He decided on confused. "There's a problem?"

Hannah bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. Both of their eggs were untouched at this point. He was staring at her, questions in his eyes. She was looking in her brain for the right way to say what she had to say. Nothing sounded good. "It wasn't me." She finally said, dropping her eyes to her intertwined hands on the table.

"What?"

"It wasn't me."

From the edge of her vision she could see his expression going from worry to anger mixed with puzzlement. "You were there."

"But it wasn't me doing it. I wasn't-"

"I was there and you sure as HELL were there too." He cut her off, his voice rising in anger. "I don't know what you're trying to say, but it was you."

"I wasn't in control," she was pleading for him to listen with her tone. "I was there, physically but mentally, it wasn't me."

He took a minute to process her words. "How is that possible? I was there. It was you." He was insistent. "You said things-"

"The same things, over and over. I know. I remember."

"How can you remember but say you weren't there? Hannah, this is bullshit." He was getting angry again. "If you didn't want to do it, you didn't have to. I was perfectly content just to sleep last night."

She set her jaw, trying not to get equally angry back at him. She was just as much a victim in this, if not more so. He didn't have the right to be mad at her. She just needed to make him understand. "I was too, Duke." Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes to even her breathing pattern while counting to ten. When she opened her eyes he was staring at her, his face blank. It scared her that she couldn't read his thoughts from his expression.

"How about I start from the top." She tried the best she could to explain how she had woken up and felt the draw to him. She told him about her mind going blank except the one thought in her mind about him and how when she woke up she could remember what happened but also how she had had no control over any of it. He didn't say a word the entire time she spoke, he simply stared at her with a blank expression.

"So, you didn't want me." That seemed the part that hurt him the most.

"Duke," She didn't want to answer that statement. "That's not what I'm saying-"

"So you did?"

"I…" She didn't know how to proceed without hurting his feelings.

"It's okay. I've been flirting with you since day one and you've never given me any signs of returning my advances. I should have known it was too good to be true. I was half asleep, half drunk, and all wishful thinking." He closed his eyes and rubbed them with the heels of his palms. "What a nightmare."

She quirked her mouth to the side, unhappy to see him so upset. She didn't want to hurt his feelings this way. She was determined to figure out what happened and who did it. Whoever it was had a lot to answer for. "I'm sorry." She offered.

"Wasn't you. Nothing you need to apologize for."

"I didn't mean to-"

Duke held up a hand. "Let's drop it, okay? I don't feel like talking about it right now." There was an awkward pause, neither one knowing what to say. Finally, Duke stood up taking their uneaten eggs to the garbage. "Oh, by the way, Nathan's coming by shortly to question you about the apartment."

Hannah's eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Police called your phone this morning, looking for you. I answered it and let them know where you were. They said they were sending Nathan over."

Hannah stood abruptly. "We can't tell him."

"Tell him? Tell him what?"

"What happened."

"He's the police. If someone is doing some sort of mind control thing then he needs to be out there looking for them before they do it again." He paused a minute. "Though, if they are out there mind controlling girls to sleep around, maybe I should take advantage of that before he or she gets busted."

"Duke…" she said in a warning voice.

"Just saying. It's kind of a great idea. Maybe I like this person more than I originally thought."

There were footsteps on the deck. Hannah looked desperately at Duke. She didn't want Nathan to know, not right away at least, and not to be told by Duke. "You're not going to tell him, right?" She reiterated.

"Why do you care so much? It's just Nathan…" He looked at her closely, seeing the desperation in her eyes. He put two and two together. Looking rather disgusted he groaned. "Oh no, you _like_ him?"

"Shhh!" She waved at him to keep his voice down. Nathan was seconds away from walking in on them. "Keep your voice down. Whether I do or not is not your business, I just don't want him to know right now, okay? This is our secret for the moment."

"I can't believe you like him." Duke sounded half amused, half irritated. It was interesting how he felt conflicting emotions fairly constantly and they came out in his voice and expressions so well. "We are not done with this conversation." He whispered just as Nathan stepped through the doorway.

Hannah put on a large, fake smile. "Detective Wuornos, how are you today?" She asked brightly. Duke just rolled his eyes.

"You spent the night here?" Nathan eyed her pajamas and orange juice.

"Yes, yes I did. Duke was kind enough to let me stay. I think he wanted to protect me, too. We were both pretty freaked out by the state of my apartment last night."

"It's trashed." Nathan nodded, looking from her to Duke who was busy looking busy and not looking at either of them. "Nothing stolen?" He asked, looking back to her.

"Nothing I could see from last night. All my expensive stuff was still there. Broken, but still there."

"So not a robbery." Nathan mused. "Do you have any enemies?"

Hannah barely stopped herself from snorting in amusement. "Not any I can think of off the top of my head. Most people I used to know don't even know I'm here so unless I've made someone in town mad, I don't know that the vandalism was targeted at me."

Nathan's brows creased with question. "What do you mean?"

Hannah sighed, chewing her bottom lip and looking back over at Duke before meeting Nathan's eyes again. "Well, I've been thinking about it this morning a bit. The lease isn't in my name." Duke turned to look at her words. "Maybe it wasn't me they were trying to scare."

"Well now, I know _you_ have enemies." Nathan said, looking over at Duke.

Duke held up his hands and smiled tightly. "What can I say? I'm a likable guy."

Nathan shook his head and turned back to Hannah. "So you're saying you don't think this is random?"

Hannah shrugged. "I really don't know. It could be random. But that much destruction seems personal."

Duke walked over to where the two of them stood. "Maybe it's a jealous girl who thinks you're my kept mistress. Lease is in my name, I'm letting a pretty girl stay in the apartment. I could be your sugar daddy."

Hannah wanted to protest but it was a plausible explanation. "Do you have jealous girls hanging around?"

"Maybe. I have lots of friends."

"And enemies." Nathan added. "Okay, well Audrey and I are looking into it. Your apartment is a crime scene, though, so you need to find a place to stay for a few days." He made a pointed look at her. She could tell he didn't like her staying on the boat.

"Hey, I saw that. I'm a gentleman. I don't do things girls don't want me to do." Duke said flippantly, walking away from them.

"It's okay." Hannah said softly to Nathan. "I can stay at a hotel for a few days or something. I'll work it out."

"Watch him," Nathan replied, equally as soft. "I know you're friends, but he can be bad news. I don't trust him."

Hannah smiled at him. "I know. But I do. It will be okay. Thanks for checking into things."

Nathan nodded, turned, and was gone. Duke had left out the back way, leaving her alone in the galley. She slumped into the seat, rested her head in her arms on the table and did everything she could do to fight back tears.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Ahh! Years later and we are starting Haven S4! I just finished watching S3. Now mind you, I started this story while watching S1 and I do notice that some of the things I've written have come to pass via Audrey. Funny. A majority of this chapter was written at least a year ago, I just finished it up today. I know where I was going with this so I might continue it on another couple chapters. I would at least like to get Hannah's story out there. Anyhow, hope you enjoy!

**All She Wanted**

By Mia Bailey

Chapter 8: The Reveal

"You can still stay. I'm not mad." Duke was walking her back to her apartment to pack up some of her things. She couldn't stay there while it was a crime scene.

"I don't think it's a good idea if I stay with you, not until we figure out what's going on." Hannah frowned.

"I can't keep an eye on you at a hotel." Duke argued. "And I don't think this apartment thing is about me. It's about you. You need to be cautious."

Hannah shook her head. "You really don't need to be worried about me. I'll be fine. I'm more worried about this mind control thing than the apartment right now. A person I can stop; something freaky and supernatural is another thing."

"Still think you should stay on the boat." Duke offered one last time. Hannah just shook her head.

They walked up the stairs and to her place. It was still trashed, just how they had left it last night. There was yellow caution tape crossing the doorway and two police officers were inside looking for evidence. One of them supervised her coming in and packing a small bag of clothes. She was ushered out quickly with promises of calls when the investigation turned something up.

As she and Duke hit the sidewalk out front she shielded her eyes from the sun and looked left to right. "Which hotel?" She asked.

Duke shrugged. "They're all okay. Nothing as nice as a boat…"

"A bucket of rust that rocks constantly and creaks loudly? No thanks, one night was plenty." She teased. The two of them seemed content to pretend the awkward parts of last night never happened. She knew it was going to come up at some point with the police but for now she wanted to concentrate on a place to stay.

"Harper Motel. It's close to here and close to the harbor." Duke finally suggested.

"Better to keep an eye on me?"

"No, that would be if you would stay _with_ me, like I asked so very politely."

"It'll be okay. I'll stay there. It's just a few days." Hannah sighed. They started up the street in the direction Duke was pointing.

Once there, Duke put the room in his name without her even asking him to. She was glad he thought of it; she hadn't planned in her head far enough in advance to come up with an alias to stay under. He walked her to her room under the pretense of checking it out for safety purposes. He certainly was being very protective, seeing how she had verbally put him in the "just friends" category.

"Pass your inspection, officer?" Hannah teased when he was done looking in the bathroom and closet.

"For the moment." He was serious.

"Duke, it's okay, I don't know why you're so worried but don't be. I'm a big girl."

"Actually, no you're not. You're kind of a runt." There was a gleam in his eye and she saw a glimmer of the mischievous Duke she initially met and became friends with.

"Well, you're being an overprotective big brother so stop. Now."

Duke sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Fine, I'll call you later to check in, okay?"

She nodded in reply. Hannah liked hanging around Duke but today was beginning to be too much. He almost made it out the door when his cell phone chirped from his pocket. He paused to answer it. "Really? You're calling _me_?" Unusual greeting. Must be Nathan. He was silent as he listened. He glanced over at Hannah at one point but mostly listened intently to whatever it was Nathan was telling him.

"Uh, unusual at the docks last night?" Duke finally asked, looking over at Hannah, question on his face. Hannah shook her head slightly. "No, nothing too unusual. Nothing we noticed. Why, what's up?" Duke listened a moment before closing his eyes and shaking his head in amusement. "Of course, silly me. Ongoing investigation. Well, if we think of anything we'll call you, all right? All right then. Bu-bye."

"Unusual events at the docks?" Hannah asked him, her mind already racing about what might be going on. "Maybe we weren't the only ones with mind control issues."

Duke opened the door to her room, stepping into the hallway. "I'm not sure there _was_ mind control issues. I think you're just not taking responsibility for what happened last night. Heck, if I had a dime for every time a girl said mind control…" He was teasing but it still made Hannah feel bad.

"You'd have ten whole cents." She finished for him. "We'll talk later, I need a shower and a change and some food."

He leaned against the doorjamb of the room while she held the door open, waiting for him to go. "You know we have to tell Nathan." He told her, a sad look in his eye.

Hannah's eyes dropped to the floor. "Yea, I know." She replied in a quiet voice.

"Today." He added. She only nodded her agreement, not wanting to think about it. He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before leaving in silence. Hannah watched him leave, continuing to stare down the hallway after he was long gone.

A few hours later she was summoned from the haven of her hotel room to the docks by a phone call from Nathan. He wanted to question her and Duke together and not at the police station. 'Unofficial inquiry' he had called it. Who was she to argue with that?

They met on Duke's boat and sat in the cabin, away from possible wandering ears. Hannah had never been more nervous in her life; her heart was pounding like a drum. She concentrated on breathing normally and keeping her face passive. She knew a confession wasn't very far away.

"So, Nathan, we're here at your request." Duke crossed his arms and looked at the detective expectantly. "Question away."

"You're both sure nothing weird happened here last night?" Nathan asked, looking at each of them in turn. Hannah kept her eyes on him but she saw Duke look at his boots. Neither offered an answer. Nathan sighed. "Fine, I'll explain what we know. Maybe that will help jog your memories." He took a deep breath and stood, beginning to pace as he spoke. "We had two very violent fights reported, one between a married couple and one between good friends. We had an attempted suicide, an attempted murder, and three reports of loud parties on normally quiet boats. Sally Ann Peterson even cheated on her husband with Roy Berns. Something was out of whack last night."

"All that in one night?" Hannah was floored.

"Nothing too out of the ordinary." Duke shrugged it off.

"Sally Ann Peterson has been married to Gary for thirty years with no signs of trouble. The things that people on the docks did, they weren't expected. The suicide person wasn't known to be depressed or upset, the attempted murder is a local shop owner everyone loves. The things people did last night seemed to be out of character for them." Nathan stopped pacing and looked at the two of them.

Hannah exchanged a look with Duke. That would make sense; what she had done last night wasn't exactly something she would have normally done. If someone was somehow influencing people to do things they wouldn't normally do, it would explain the situation.

"I saw that." Nathan frowned at her.

"What?" She snapped her eyes back to him, trying to look innocent.

"The look you just exchanged. What happened?"

Hannah pressed her lips together in a show of not cooperating.

Nathan's eyes flared. "I didn't have to share any of this with you. I just wanted to know if you guys had anything funny happen last night and if it did, you weren't alone. This happened all up and down the docks and up to a block away. I'd be surprised if something _didn't_ happen."

"Something did happen." Duke replied, sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "Do you have a theory about what exactly is causing this?"

Nathan ran a hand through his hair and looked away from Hannah, toward Duke. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she let it out slowly when his gaze left her.

"Audrey's theory is as good as any. If you look closely at each individual case there is a pattern specific to each person affected. Each person had a small emotion or feeling toward someone; small enough that it was ignored or thought inconsequential."

"I don't get it." Hannah frowned.

Nathan didn't look at her but tried to clarify. "The fights. The married couple always got along fine but last night she got so mad at him not putting away his dishes she punched him in nose. She gets mad about that every night, but not violently so. Sally Ann; she had a school girl crush on Roy in tenth grade that she thought she was over. Last night she saw him and he was irresistible to her." Nathan shrugged. "All the stories are similar. Small feelings people thought they were over were instead magnified."

Hannah looked over at Duke. That would mean some part of her had wanted to sleep with Duke. She supposed that wasn't impossible. He was cute, charming, and witty. He had a great body. She liked talking with him and hanging out with him. It's wasn't a complete impracticality but she would have never guessed it.

"Would you two share?" Nathan finally broke the silence. Hannah hadn't realized she and Duke had been staring at one another, probably thinking the same thoughts. "What happened?"

"Well, Nathan, it's kind of personal." Duke finally said, breaking his eye contact with Hannah and leaning back in his chair. He had on his self satisfied, 'cat got the canary' grin that drove the detective nuts.

"If it will help with the investigation…" Nathan tried to sound not angry. "Does our theory make sense with what happened with you two?"

Duke looked over at Hannah. "Does it?" He asked her.

All eyes were on her. _Thanks, Duke, for throwing me under the bus_. She supposed she couldn't blame him; he was leaving it up to her to either spill the beans or keep them canned. It was her call.

"Yeah, I suppose it does." She wasn't sure what she was going to say until she said it. She nodded after she spoke. "Amplified feelings. I thought it was mind control. I don't know which is worse."

"It happened to you, not him?" Nathan asked, stepping closer to her.

She nodded. "Yes, I could tell I wasn't in complete control of myself. That's why I thought it was some sort of mind control."

"What did you do?" He asked her. He really thought he wanted to know. He really didn't.

"I, uh," she wasn't sure she could spit the words out. She felt her cheeks flush red. She hadn't blushed since she was twelve years old.

"We slept together." Duke supplied for her. He sounded irritated.

Nathan blinked. He looked over at Duke. "In the same bed together?"

Duke chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Yea, genius, in the same bed. Very cozy."

Nathan took two extra seconds to process Duke's words. He looked back to Hannah's abashed expression with wide eyes. "You two…" He didn't finish.

Hannah decided in that second that she wasn't going to be ashamed of it. What was done was done, she had apparently wanted to do it in some recess of her mind so she shouldn't be embarrassed. She looked Nathan in the eye and stood up. "Yep, we did. There must have been a part of me that wanted to because I couldn't keep my hands off of him last night."

Nathan just stared at her. The silence dragged on for minutes; to Hannah it felt like hours. She could see each emotion play out on his face as it went through his head. Disbelief, anger, then disappointment. The last one was hard to swallow.

"You said someone was causing this. I had no intention of sleeping with Duke but someone was influencing me. How?" Hannah was finally the one to break the silence.

It was Duke and Nathan's turn to exchange looks. Nathan cleared his throat but Duke was the one to speak. "There are quite a few people in Haven who aren't…normal."

She continued to watch him, waiting. Did he really think that was an explanation? "Yeah…" she prompted. "So I've noticed. That's kind of why I fit in."

Nathan finally looked at her again. He was probably thinking about the incident on the bluff where she had saved his life. He had known since that day that she wasn't normal but he never made her fully explain herself. And ever since then she had noticed a few things that were weird in Haven but it was amazing how easy it was to dismiss them as tricks of the mind. She had her own secrets to keep; she wasn't interested in prying into other's lives.

"People can do things, supernatural things." Duke decided to finally continue his explanation. "Sometimes it affects just them. Sometimes it affects others. Like this influence thing."

"Supernatural?" She couldn't hide the disbelief from her voice.

"We call them troubled." Nathan cut in. "They have afflictions that cause them and others trouble. Most of the time they don't even realize they are doing it. It just happens."

Hannah was quiet for a moment as she contemplated their words. She had seen a lot of weirdness in her life, a lot of strange things, but that was all due to government testing and scientists trying to play God. She had never imagined supernatural things were occurring around her. "How do you know it is supernatural? How do you know this isn't due to some experiment? The government playing with your heads?" They certainly played around with her head.

Nathan frowned. "Trust me, this has been going on for a while. When you've seen the things we've seen…"

"No experiment is that powerful." Duke finished for him.

Hannah pressed her lips together, inhaling deeply. As she exhaled she made her decision. "Okay, so I'm going to give you both the benefit of the doubt since I know you are rational, somewhat trustworthy people. What do we do about this? This person can't go around influencing people to give into their slightest desires. It's already had terrible consequences."

"Like I said, they probably don't know they are doing it." Nathan replied. He made a move like he was getting ready to leave. "I'll call Audrey and we'll canvas the docks. If it was focused down here the person is likely to still be around."

"What can I do to help?" Hannah asked, following him onto the deck.

"Nothing." Nathan replied, holding the phone up to his ear. He didn't look at her while he filled in Audrey.

Hannah looked over at Duke. He was standing in the doorway, his hands on the wall above the door, his body leaning forward slightly. He shook his head at her. "I stay as far away from troubled people as I can," he told her. "I don't like to invite any more problems into my life."

Nathan clicked his phone shut and headed for the dock. Hannah followed. Duke stayed put. "Nathan, I want to help. I know that I don't seem like much but I can help with an investigation. Just give me direction."

Nathan spun around so fast that she ran into his chest. She put her hands on him to push herself back. He was staring down at her hands, his mouth open as though he forgot what he was about to say to her. "Let me help you," she pleaded, dropping her arms.

He seemed to regain some of his focus. He glared her, his eyes a tumultuous storm that made her heart flutter. "You want to help me?" he asked, barely restraining the anger from his voice. "Then stay away from _him_." Nathan jabbed a finger in the direction of Duke. He turned and stalked off the dock, obviously upset.

Hannah stood there, watching him leave, feeling sad and helpless at the same time. She wanted to chase after him but what would she say? She and Nathan weren't dating, they weren't even that close of friends. She could explain everything to him, tell him why she would be helpful in their investigation but she had a feeling he was too angry to take her seriously.

She smiled wryly as she turned and headed back toward Duke. It was ironic that she would buy into his supernatural story but she didn't think he would buy into her truth. Duke hadn't moved from the doorway.

"That went well." Duke said when she was on his deck again. "Any confrontation with Nathan where I don't get punched in the face is a victory in my book."

"Come on," Hannah ignored his sarcasm. She was also going to ignore Nathan's suggestion to stay away from Duke and not help with the investigation. "We've got work to do."


End file.
